How This Came Together
In Devastating Loss, an unexpected alarm tears through the night, pulling Tarian from restless sleep into a fight for survival. When he sees the lights bathing the compound, he rushes out to meet the unknown. But as the smoke clears, he learns that bravery and loss often walk hand in hand. Every act of courage demands its price.
As the siren fades and silence returns, Tarian is left to count what remains. This is a story about duty in the face of despair, about the quiet strength that follows tragedy, and the weight of every decision made in darkness.
Music Pairing
Moments of Rest accompanies this tale with a slow, soulful blues progression that mirrors Tarian’s exhaustion and reflection. The music breathes between lines, carrying the ache of loss while offering a fragile calm. It’s a reminder that even after battle, a moment’s rest must come.
Behind the Scenes
This story continues the Colonization saga, where the Larian colony is teetering on obliteration. As the end of the series bore down on me, I knew I needed to lay some groundwork for what was planned. As a result, I leaned into the recent installments and used them in order to explore the composure of Tarian. Despite wanting to weigh his worth, I wanted to explore the burden of leadership and the silence that follows chaos.
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Devastating Loss
Tarian lifted his head from the desk as the alarm blared. With a groan, he turned toward the noise. When he couldn’t locate the source of the racket, he started blinking the sleep away and stumbled toward the window. He leaned on the sill and saw the ordnance storehouse lights flashing across the field. As his gaze tracked the beams, the scene made sense. Tarian spun and bolted from his quarters.
When he burst out of the building, Tarian dashed toward the depot. As he crossed the courtyard, a hand yanked him to a stop. Tarian reached back, grabbed the stranger and twisted his arm behind his back. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” Lloyd said with a whimper, his face paling. He raised his free hand in surrender. “However, you rushing headlong into an unknown raid isn’t one of your better ideas.”
As Tarian relaxed his grip, he spun toward the armory as his hand flew to his side. He reached for his sidearm, but his fingers brushed an empty belt. A curse flew from his mouth as he whirled toward Lloyd. “Do you have a spare gun?”
“You’re lucky you ran into me first.” Lloyd drew a handgun and thrust it toward Tarian. “Next time the alarm blares, you might remember to secure your sidearm before you try to take on a mystery unarmed.”
“That’s enough,” Tarian said as he took the weapon. After a brief check, he aimed the small firearm at the depot and inched forward.
“You shouldn’t be the first to enter,” Lloyd said, pulling Tarian’s shoulder. With a few long strides, Lloyd pulled ahead of Tarian and placed an ear against the depot’s door.
“Can you hear anything over the siren?” Tarian asked, tapping the gun’s barrel against the wooden frame.
The quartermaster rubbed his brow and murmured something under his breath. Lloyd shook his head and shoved Tarian back. “It’s hard to hear anything with your tapping. Why don’t you check the perimeter?”
With a curt nod, Tarian circled the depot and hurried back to the quartermaster. He tapped the man’s shoulder. “Looks clear.”
“That’s counterproductive.”
Tarian spun as a stream of soldiers poured onto the field. He tapped the wall and inched closer to the hunched quartermaster. As he neared, the door burst open, sending Lloyd flying backward, the depot’s doorknob clutched in his hand. The blast from inside the depot stole Tarian’s breath, but he raised his weapon, covering the entrance.
A pair of creatures walked through the broken doorway, each laden with stolen munitions.
Tarian pulled his finger off the trigger as he lifted the barrel, aiming between one creature’s eyes. “Stop, or I’ll shoot.”
The pale monsters exchanged snarls, baring wicked fangs before turning on Tarian. As Tarian’s finger shifted to his trigger, the monsters leapt over his head and raced away from the depot. Cursing, Tarian fired after the fleeing monsters. Between shots, Lloyd slapped his hand, driving the barrel down, sending the lance of light into the ground.
While the beings darted into the courtyard, Tarian spun to face Lloyd. “They’re escaping with some of our ordnance!”
Lloyd shook his head and dashed after the creatures. “And if your shot were to hit that unstable ordnance, we’d end up in a crater.”
Tarian lifted the gun and growled at the useless hunk of metal. “How are we going to stop those things from escaping with our munitions?”
Lloyd heaved a sigh, taking a slight step forward. “There’s only one way. We can catch them.”
“Fine, we’ll tackle some shapeshifters.” Tarian followed, his breathing already ragged. “That’s fantastic!”
Lloyd pelted off toward the farther monster. “Well, if you had one of those dart guns I created, you could have used it!”
Tarian shook his head and mirrored Lloyd’s move and tackled the other shadowy figure, forcing it to drop the stolen ordnance. As the two bodies fell, the creature’s body began writhing as it changed shape. In a moment, Tarian attempted to wrangle a wolf. Tarian pistol-whipped the being’s nose. As the wolf-thing whimpered, Tarian stumbled back from the shifter.
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